Vestas has produced the first prototype 80-meter blade for the V164-8.0 MW offshore wind turbine at its R&D center on the Isle of Wight, U.K.

Vestas says the 80-meter blade is the longest ever produced by the company, and it uses the structural shell design, through which the loads of the blade are carried in the shell rather than using a spar at the center of the blade.

In order to validate the strength and reliability of the blade, it will be tested to its limits for six months, reproducing the challenging wind conditions of the North Sea over a simulated 25-year lifetime, Vestas adds.

“Test and verification of the blade is a critical stage of the development of the V164-8.0 MW,” comments Chief Technology Officer Anders Vedel. “Moving as much of the verification process as possible into our state-of-the-art test center ensures the blade, the bearing and other components perform to the high standards our customers expect.”

The V164-8.0 MW prototype will be installed in the first quarter of 2014 at a Danish national testing center.